Search form

You are here

Palm Heel Strike

Ive read quite a bit that palm heel strike may be a very effective tool in self defense, even more so than closed fist technique due to the lesser risk of damage to your own hand. Several questions, if this is such a great technique how come this technique doesnt show up in the heian/Pinnan series? is it hidden for school children, is it merely my style has changed it, or did Itosu not prefer this technique? and how effective is this technique compared to a fist? As you all have gathered we rarely practise this in my style of karate and dont know much about it.

In our school we teach the beginners to use palm strikes instead of punches until they get to orange belt. We've found that by focusing of the mechanics of the linear strike without having them worrying about punching correctly, that we have cut down of injuries. Once they have the mechanics of the strike down, we teach them to punch correctly. At this point forward palm strikes are encouraged for hard targets: face, ribs, temple and punches are encouraged for soft targets: stomach, throat, groin, ect.

It seems to me that putting palm strikes in a kata would have been redundant. The difference between a linear punch and a linear palm strikes is as little as adjusting your wrist.

I have heard of, and am aware of, instructors who teach 'multiple' versions of forms... for instance, a 'basic' version of Naihanchi with closed fists and simple applications, and an 'advanced' level substittuting open hand strikes. Finally, this instructor reportedly offers a third level of yet higher application where kyushu jutsu points are revealed.

The answer may be related to the application of the forms, the level of student they were intended for, or posited by the fact that higher level forms do offer open hand striking, though none of them the 'obvious' dumb-palm heel you tend to see in self-defense applications.

Personally, I teach open-hand techniques first. For instance, I teach finger jab, palm heel, ear box slap, elbow-uppercut as a series, initially because I believe these are (debateably) 'more effective' tools for civillian self-protection context I am teaching for. And obviously, it is not much of a stretch to go from there to Jab-cross-(long) hook- uppercut as the underlying basic body mechancis are virtually identical.

What I have found is, by doing so, I can get students to install the 'mental program' of 'correct' punching body mechanics much faster than with fists (I teach rotational boxing mechanics vs. the flat footed karate approach). And, obvioulsy, once they have the basic BODY mechancis down, then we gradually migrate over to first substituting the boxing punches (which are 'easier' to train at contact in live motion drills bc of the closed and padded fist); and then, a gradual mixing of the 'self-defense' .

All that is to say, depending on how you see your training, it is a relatively easy thing for you to 'substitute' open hand for closed hand techniques in your forms, which is a first step toward (I believe) a person's beginning comprehension of a 'bunkai' process for interpretive training approaches...

Ive read quite a bit that palm heel strike may be a very effective tool in self defense, even more so than closed fist technique due to the lesser risk of damage to your own hand. Several questions, if this is such a great technique how come this technique doesnt show up in the heian/Pinnan series? is it hidden for school children, is it merely my style has changed it, or did Itosu not prefer this technique? and how effective is this technique compared to a fist? As you all have gathered we rarely practise this in my style of karate and dont know much about it.

I can think of quite a few instances of palm heal strike in the Heian/Pinan kata's. For example:

Look at Nukite in Heian Nedan... rather than thinking that it is a strike with the fingertips (although it is perfectly valid in the right circumstance), think rather a palm strike to the jaw... An application I like a lot is to interpret that sequence as a take down (you step past you opponents front leg and slam his chest with your arm whilst striking his jaw with the palm. Clearly your "nikite" arm is bent at the point of contact and straightens as part of the follow through.

Iain shows a number of implications for Nikite that are essentially palm heel strikes, if you check out some of his videos.

On my Self Defence Classes i actually advise this strike as oppose to a clenched fist as Ladies have long nails etc and soft hands (not all women) there's less chance of damaging the wrist using this strike in a self defence situation

1. Straight Palm strikes by their very nature tend to be closer range than punching, only a couple of inches but thats important re the context of trying to land them. I also find their power focus tends to be shorter range - round slaps being the opposite.

2. Whilst a palm strike can of course be effective, there is also the element of the palm push - think of grappling range and a way to make some space, or effect a reaction- like pushing the face back to allow a throat strike, punches don't do this so well in this context.

4. What has been said about palm strike being part of Nukite is how I also see and teach it, a glancing strike to allow the thumb to enter an eye socket same time, or a strike to the jaw and an ear grab etc etc.

We train palm heel strikes fairly regularly, especially with advanced students. I too subscribe more to a boxing approach for learning to punch (with fists). This includes making and using a proper fist early on. But I agree that the palm strike is very often a better way to hit harder places, especially at odd angles to the head.

I have my own theory on why the kata we practice show fist applications for nearly everything but until I read through the White Crane e-book (here: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/content/white-crane-e-book-level-1) by Ron Shively, I had not seen anyone who shared such a similar opinion. On page 83 of this book he discusses the early changes to kata that might have led to the use of the closed fist replacing many of the open hand strikes. His description would be better than any attempt by me.

I also think it is likely that the kata simply recorded strikes as strikes and the practicioner is expected to apply the appropriate use at higher levels. To me, the kata are an outline of an overall fighting method. They don't show everything but, give us a direction for training. This information may have simply been a detail that didn't make the final versions, as we have them today.

Just my thoughts on the subject. I do think open handed strikes are a very useful technique worth practicing, no matter what the kata or a particular styles preference is. If something proves useful, use it!

The Okinawans - influenced by the Siamese (now Thailand) boxing - preferred the closed fist to the open hand for methods of impacting. So forms devised by Okinawans will show a preference for the closed fist, and in some cases the Chinese forms were changed from open hand to cloed hand to accomodate this preference. The closed fist form of impacting was a key driver in the popularistion of karate in Japan and so the extent to which forms were changed from the Chinese 'original' (though I believe those forms were not rigidly 'fixed') could be quite profound.

Both the closed fist and palm heel hve their advantages, so train both!

i once had a simialr conversation with one of my chinse teachers, he was showing me a form that included alot of palm strikes, we were talking about it later and i explained my back ground and that i had done alot of closed fist strikes int he past,. so he told me i i wanted i could practice the form with closed fists too if i wanted,

The Okinawans - influenced by the Siamese (now Thailand) boxing - preferred the closed fist to the open hand for methods of impacting. So forms devised by Okinawans will show a preference for the closed fist, and in some cases the Chinese forms were changed from open hand to cloed hand to accomodate this preference. The closed fist form of impacting was a key driver in the popularistion of karate in Japan and so the extent to which forms were changed from the Chinese 'original' (though I believe those forms were not rigidly 'fixed') could be quite profound.

Both the closed fist and palm heel hve their advantages, so train both!

I had heard/read it was more Itosu who introduced closed fist for the schools? So are you implying okinawans implied this preference before itosu created Pinans in school system, or after? This topic is quite interesting for me.

Okinawa, and Naha as a natural port, was a melting pot of martial arts. Yes there was the indigenous tegumi or Okinawan sumo grappling, and the influence of Chinese systems (both Okinawans going to China and Chinese moving to Okinawa), but the striking arts from the Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) were also of influence, and it is from there that the makiwara actually originated. I think there will be a variety in preference according to the individual's lineage, but the influence of Siamese boxing is going to be notable and would hve been influential in the development of 'Okinawan hand'.

In the 1920's western boxing was becoming increasingly popular with the Japanese, spurred on by the first live radio commentary of a title match (Dempsey vs Carpentier in 1921). The Japanese, believing themselves to be a superior race with a great sense of pride in its martial arts culd not and would not accept that they would be inferior to the gaijin ('alien') boxers.

With the koryu bujustu schools having very little in the way of close fist striking or boxing, attention was turned to the little island of Okinwa where thy were aware that its plebian methods of closed fist striking were popular, and which provdided an obvious and convenient answer to the problem faced by the authorities, who were able to proudly boast "We Japanese already have such methods..." and save face, whilst enforcing the image of Japanese superiority. So Itosu's desire to fuel the Japanese war machine with karate (along with judo, kendo etc) was actually balanced by a need for the Japanese to bring karate to the mainland.

This was the golden opportunity for the Okinawan's led by Itosu, and so it is a resonable deduction that changed were made to emphasis the striking elements of karate, as the Japanese would have little interest in the grappling or weapon elements to karate, as they already had an extensive catalogue of such techniques from their schools of juijutsu.

Itosu probably made changes to forms to make them more appealing to the new Japanese market, but he was not the only one...Miyagi Chojun made similar changes to sanchin.

Okinawa, and Naha as a natural port, was a melting pot of martial arts. Yes there was the indigenous tegumi or Okinawan sumo grappling, and the influence of Chinese systems (both Okinawans going to China and Chinese moving to Okinawa), but the striking arts from the Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) were also of influence, and it is from there that the makiwara actually originated. I think there will be a variety in preference according to the individual's lineage, but the influence of Siamese boxing is going to be notable and would hve been influential in the development of 'Okinawan hand'

Interesting, this is the first I heard of Thai Boxing influecing Okinawan Martial Arts. It makes sense. Can I ask where did you find this research? Again, I love MA history!

It is also worth noting that there may be a degree of parrallel evolution going on here. I accept that there are obvious influences from imported martial techniques from other cultures, but I struggle to believe that clench fist striking wasn't already part of the local fighting toolkit.

If there are two separate groups of people each with the same requirement, they may both come to the same conclusion and develop very similar solutions (for example, and I am being quite simplistic here, the evolution of flight by bats and birds as a comparison).

In my mind there are a limited number of options to improve the way you inflict damage on an opponent when you are unarmed. As humans we are essentially the same shape wherever we originate from, two arms, a head, a pair of hands etc). It seems to me that having the option of striking with a clenched fist has some distinct advantages over a purely open-handed approach for a well-rounded fighter.

The clench fist "style" of Okinawan/Japanese MArtial arts does not seem hugely different from the old western tradition of pugalism (especially when you look at the old German texts/diagrams Circa 16th Century)

I can see why it may be struggle to believe that clenched fist striking wasnt part of the local fighting system...the difficulty arises when establishing the 'already' - the time at which we make that deliberation. When considering this I then questioned the opposite circumstance...why western pugilism hadnt adopted or systematised a much more extensive open hand techniques, so if the preference for clench fist in the west developed, then a preference for the open hand in the east seems much more probable.

Impacting was part of the tegumi/okinawan sumo fighting, this thread is just showing refinement of this as a result of the Siamese influence. I think this is a cultural factor, where the greater Chinese influences (through quan) of open handed techniques may have been offset against the Siamese influences, with the result being based of the personal preference of the individual.

Several questions, if this is such a great technique how come this technique doesnt show up in the heian/Pinnan series?

Recently I've been playing with varying the regular shuto in those kata into ox jaw strikes which I often think as the marriage of the palm heel and regular shuto. http://o.quizlet.com/i/sqtpbA1Dw0CPt631JHaiGA_m.jpg Just that small change is enough to provoke reevaluation of targets, delivery, etc.

Just as I was poking around the forum I also saw Angel Lemus posted a great application of Patsai (Kyan) on One Minute Bunkai that combines ox jaw and nukite.

Several questions, if this is such a great technique how come this technique doesnt show up in the heian/Pinnan series?

Recently I've been playing with varying the regular shuto in those kata into ox jaw strikes which I often think as the marriage of the palm heel and regular shuto. http://o.quizlet.com/i/sqtpbA1Dw0CPt631JHaiGA_m.jpg Just that small change is enough to provoke reevaluation of targets, delivery, etc.

Just as I was poking around the forum I also saw Angel Lemus posted a great application of Patsai (Kyan) on One Minute Bunkai that combines ox jaw and nukite.

Thanks for the post and video! Ironically I just started playing around with shuto and palm heel strikes last week! i would do iain's clear the limb, shuto to the neck and pivot to the side, then deliver a lunging palm heel (instead of a nukite) to the jaw. Thanks again!

Dale when you take a look at Shotokan Kata like Empi, Jion, Jitte, Jiin, Unsu, Gojushiho Dai and Sho you find a lot of movements utilizing not only closed fists but palm heels (teisho), shuto and haito, even finger strikes etc.

Unsu has the Mawashi Uke, which consist of palm heel techniques, do you consider the double hand opening technique at the beginning palm heels? The capture before the kick, looks to me like a sukui uke, which is a palm block, not sure about the top hand.

Yes really, they are there as blocks primarily, but I don't see them as strikes.

I see them as motions that can be utilized to whatever is needed in a certain situation. You can use them as a strike, lock, throw, for receiving attacks.

Dale Parker wrote:

My point was and is I don't see them as the primary striking method.

There is no Kata like Anan in Shotokan that focusses on those kind of palm heel strikes in that thrusting/tsuki like motion. The statement in your post sounded like that there are no palm heel strikes in Shotokan at all.

Dale Parker wrote:

I didnt see any in Gojushiho Sho.

Right at the end is a double palm heel to either shoulder or hip level (it is different from organisation to organisation). Its hard to see because you are looking at the back of the performer.